KENINGAU: Police have arrested eight men about 12 hours after a 27-year-old man was murdered during a drinking session at an entertainment centre here yesterday.
District police chief Deputy Superintendent Zahari Mohamed yesterday said the eight men are believed to be from several villages in Nabawan and Tongod.
He said the suspects, aged between 18 and 24, were arrested separately between 11.30am and 3pm.
Zahari said the suspects were arrested at a lodging house in Masak road, a kongsi in a housing estate and a bakery shop’s quarters.
They were detained to assist police investigation into the murder of the local man, identified as Maid @ Sutak Lariah from Kampung Tonomon Sapulut in Nabawan at 3am yesterday.
Zahari said Inspector Adnan, who was on standby duty for 24 hours, made a police report after receiving a call from the public at about 3pm yesterday that there was a fight at one of the entertainment centres here.
Acting on the information, a team of policemen led by Keningau District Criminal Investigation Department chief ASP Lim Nyuk Kim went to the scene and found the victim dead in a pool of blood on the pavement in front of a salon.
The police found a knife wound, about a centimeter wide, on the left side of victim’s chest, Zahari told a press conference here yesterday, adding that a four-inch red knife sheath was also found.
Initial police investigation revealed that at about 11pm on June 16, the victim and his nephew together with three other colleagues were drinking at the entertainment centre, he said.
He said at about 3am yesterday (June 17), the victim got into a fight with a group of about six to seven people who were believed to be drinking at another table next to the victim’s at the entertainment centre.
One of the group members stabbed the victim once with a sharp weapon.
Zahari believed that the fight was due to a misunderstanding between the victim and the group members as they were drunk at the time of the incident.
The victim has been sent to the Keningau Hospital for a post-mortem.
On a fight involving a government officer at a 24-hour store here last month, Zahari said the investigation papers would be ready in a week and submitted to the Attorney General for further action.